Scripts and records for violin home practice based upon a tune a day method book

Abstract:

It is the purpose of this project to solve the problem of home practice for the beginning violin student. Most method books begin with open strings and because of the boredom and unpleasant tone, many pupils lose interest and drop music completely. This shortage of string players is becoming a serious problem for performing musical organizations on the secondary level. A beginning violin student must be constantly reminded of his position and unless the parent attends the lesson and supervises the practice, many bad habits are formed in the home practice period that will take months and sometimes years to correct. Because of this, many music educators recommend that the student should not take his instrument home for a minimum period of one to three months, so the student will have supervision by the teacher each time he plays the instrument; thus guaranteeing the establishment of fundamental techniques and guarding against the formation of bad technical habits.I However, this means a loss of time and progress to the student and in some cases, a complete loss of enthusiasm and interest. This project will allow the student to take his instrument home and through the use of records for each lesson, give the desired supervision that is indispensable to the beginning violin student. It will also create strong motivation, by providing melodious accompaniments and specific reminders about position, bow and finger problems. It is to be clearly understood that these records are for home use by the student in conjunction with individual or class instruction by a private or school music teacher. The records can not be used as a substitute for the violin lessons, as they were designed as a teaching aid to be used with the method book A Tune a Day. Through the use of these records, it is believed a more satisfying and successful musical experience will be provided for the students and the teacher.